7 Forts to Explore in Switzerland

The fort Aarburg belongs to Swiss architectural monuments of the first floor. The imposing complex high above the Aareknie have been founded around the year 1123 as frohburgische festival. In the early modern period, the fortress was expanded in Aarburg Bernese strong artillery. After the founding of Canton Aargau in 1803 became the property of the state and has been temporarily as cantonal prison and arsenal.

The Fürigen fortress was built as a rock and was part of the Swiss Reduit defense system in World War II. The building, built-in 1942, was abandoned by the army in 1987 and opened in 1991 as one of the first more modern fortress museums in Switzerland. In 1987 the fortress was abandoned by the army. Today it is one of four exhibition houses in the Nidwalden Museum. The rooms and facilities are largely from the time it was built.

The Heldsberg fortress is built into a rocky outcrop between the villages of St. Margrethen and Au in the Rhine Valley. Lustenau, the stately village in Vorarlberg, is located directly above the border river Rhine. The fortress had the task of preventing the crossing over the border river Rhine between Montlingen and Lake Constance and of disrupting a crossing over the lake from the Lindau area in order to ultimately ward off an invasion of Switzerland.

The Hohenklingen Fortress, an example of a medieval fortress built on a hill, is situated 590m above sea level, overlooking the picturesque little town of Stein am Rhein on a Nagelfluh, summit, that runs in a west-east direction. Today the fortress is privately owned and has been almost completely restored to its original condition.

The Munot Fortress was built in the 16th century by the inhabitants of Schaffhausen in enforced labour and characterizes the cityscape to this day. The town’s landmark attracts tourists and locals. Enjoy the fantastic views of the Old Town and the Rhine river scenery into the far distance. For over 400 years, the landmark of Schaffhausen, the Munot, has been proudly overlooking the town.

The Sasso da Pigna fortress is a Swiss artillery plant on the Gotthard Pass in the municipality of Airolo in the canton of Ticino. The work created in 1943 was abolished as a fighting facility in 1998 and opened as the Museum Sasso San Gottardo in 2012.

The St. Alban­Tor, dating back to ca. 1400, was part of the fortifications of the old walled city and is the gateway to a picturesque district of the city. The old gateway to the city still has its large wooden door and the heavy paling that was let down in times of danger to bar the entrance to the city. It was one of the ancient attractions in the city and also very famous among tourists.